


For the Days of Youth You Lost

by kate7h



Category: Vinland Saga (Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Eventual Romance, F/M, Flirting, gudfinnweek2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-11
Updated: 2020-02-11
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:06:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22664479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kate7h/pseuds/kate7h
Summary: Thorfinn was probably the most genuinely good person Gudrid had ever met. It was hard to believe that there was someone who actively despised him. But there were probably a lot of people like that from Thorfinn’s past...It had been about four years since Thorfinn had been released from prison for manslaughter…I’m head-over-heels in love with a convicted felon… what would mom say…?But as she looked back at his soft, dark eyes and the gentle smile on his lips, she decided that she just didn’t care.-Modern AU: Thorfinn lives with his best friend, Einar, and they meet and grow close to the girl who moves into the apartment upstairs from them.
Relationships: Gudrid/Thorfinn (Vinland Saga)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 31





	For the Days of Youth You Lost

**Author's Note:**

> I’ve had this written for a while, but I’m posting it in honor of #gudfinnweek2020 for the Modern AU prompt. 
> 
> This is just a one shot for now, but could easily just be a prelude to more, depending on how deception goes for this. (I’ve got a lot of backstory and more content already written and figured out for this haha)

“Hey guys!” Gudrid said, coming into the mechanic shop with a leftover pizza from her route. “I brought some dinner!”

Einar popped his head out, wiping some sweat off his forehead. “Thanks, Gudri!”

She dropped her bag on the couch in the back room and set the box on the table. She stretched, walking into the work area where there were various projects of computers, generators, cars, and other kinds of junk. Hild was in her corner as usual, tinkering with an air conditioning unit. She hummed a greeting, keeping her eyes trained on the mechanisms. She liked Hild, even though she was quiet and terse, she had a soft side. The one time she'd been able to convince the other girl to come have a sleepover at her tiny apartment, they'd had a blast bonding in all the most indulgently ‘girlish’ ways Gudrid could throw at the stoic mechanic.

The only other usual person missing was the man she was the most eager to see. Gudrid frowned, pursing her lips. 

“Where’s Thorfinn?” She asked Einar as he picked up a slice of pizza. 

“Out back,” he said. “There’s a stray cat been coming around. Probably because he keeps feeding it, the softie.”

Gudrid felt her heart flutter. “Ah, okay thanks!”

Before anyone could question her, she slipped out to the side door, looking for the boy with such a blatant heart of gold. 

She looked out and found him kneeling on the ground with an empty tuna can in his hand as he looked down at an orange cat licking at a small plate. Gudrid could almost feel her heart melting. The guy really did make it difficult for her, she having the biggest crush she’d ever had since that one kid in grade school. 

“Hey,” she called quietly as to not scare away the cat. 

He looked up with his soft brown eyes, smiling lightly. “Hey Gudri, when’d you get here?”

“Uh- like a minute ago,” she said, feeling the warmth pool in her cheeks. She jutted a thumb back into the door. “There was some leftover pizza from my route, if you want any.”

“Oh thanks! That'd be great.” His smile widened as he scratched at the cat’s head, the little critter purring happily to be pet. Gudrid again felt her heart flutter.  _ Gaaaaaah why’re you so perfect?!  _

She left the door frame and walked towards him, crouching down to pet the cat herself. Her shoulder brushed against his, and she cursed herself for acting like such a kid. She stretched her hand out to scratch along the cat’s back. The cat purred again, walking in a circle as it bumped her hand with its nose, demanding better petting, apparently. 

“She likes you,” Thorfinn said, his voice far too close to her. She felt her ears warm. 

“She got a name?” Gudrid asked, and Thorfinn just hummed. 

“Uh, I didn’t think to name her,” he laughed, and she really wasn’t surprised. This was the same guy who’d named his neighbor’s dog ‘Karli’s Mama,’ since that dog adored that toddler more than anything. The most ludicrous part of that story was that Karli’s actual mom decided to keep it...

“She’s got a nice orange color, almost golden, huh?” Gudrid said. “What about Freyja?”

“Well, she sure fancies herself a goddess,” Thorfinn chuckled as the cat rolled on her back, twisting around to get as much attention as she could from them. “I think that works.”

Gudrid stood up as Thorfinn lifted the dirty plate and brushed off his knees. Which really didn’t do much, since he worked in a mechanic shop and was usually covered in some kind of grime or dust more often than not. 

_ Oh for crying out loud, he’s even got grease on his face! _

“You’ve- ah sorry,” she laughed, reaching up to his face without thinking. “You’ve got some oil on your face.”

Thorfinn blinked as she rubbed at the smudge on his brow. It was quiet between them for a moment before they both laughed lightly. Gudrid felt the blush in her cheeks, but she still did her best to clean off the mark. “What in the world were you working on?”

“Well, I was learning how to replace a transmission today,” he shrugged, smiling at her fondly. “Although Hild isn’t much of a teacher with me. Not sure I learned much of anything which would be useful to anyone.”

_ That’s right…  _ Gudrid thought as she pulled her hand back.  _ Hild hates Thorfinn…  _

She tended to forget that, probably because Hild was always quiet and mostly pleasant with everyone else. And Thorfinn really was just a saint, if she was being honest. He was probably the most genuinely  _ good  _ person she’d ever met. It was hard to believe that there was someone who actively despised him. But there were probably a lot of people like that… from Thorfinn’s past...

It had been about four years since Thorfinn had been released from prison for manslaughter…

So yeah… she tended to forget that part about him when he was sitting in the dirt with oil on his face, petting a stray cat. 

“T- the pizza’s getting cold, we should probably head in, huh?”

Thorfinn nodded, smiling with a bit of pink in his own cheeks. “Right. And thanks for bringing by leftovers all the time. We all probably owe you a fortune!”

“Hey, I’d rather share than live off cold pizza by myself forever. You’re saving me from a lifetime of heart maladies.”

At that, he actually burst out laughing, and Gudrid almost forgot her perturbed thoughts about his past. He could be so serious and stoic, but when he laughed like that, she was sure she could just melt. 

“Well, we can't have that,” he chuckled, opening the door for her back into the shop. Before going inside, she leaned out, giving him a coy smile as she layed on the charm. 

“What, are you saying you like having me around?” She blatantly flirted, hoping beyond hope that someday he’d pick up on it. 

Thorfinn grinned, looking a bit surprised. Although he still didn’t back up at all even as she leaned into his space.  _ Dang, I can never tell if he gets it or not!  _

“Of course. Isn’t that obvious?”

And with that, he unknowingly won whatever flirting contest she was throwing at him. Like usual.  _ That dense, adorable idiot.  _ She just hummed with no doubt the goofiest smile. Trying to ignore how red her face was getting, she quickly muttered a brief response before heading back inside, Thorfinn following close behind her. 

_ I’m head-over-heels in love with a convicted felon… what would mom say…? _

But as she looked back at his soft, dark eyes and the gentle smile on his lips, she decided that she just didn’t care. 

**Author's Note:**

> Please comment and let me know if I should continue this


End file.
